On June, 6th 2008 I bought a mens watch from Bidz.com as a gift for someone and selected FedEx FIMS service for delivery as it seemed the cheapest option at the time. It clearly stated that it would take 3 - 4 weeks for delivery for which I felt was unusual as I have brought goods from the States before, and the most I ever waited was 1 week.
I paid for the item using PayPal. The cost of the item was USD $28.79 (15.10 GBP) and duly waited the 3-4 weeks. On July 10th, I still was waiting for the goods so I contacted Bidz.com and was then told it could take upto 8 weeks for delivery. Bear in mind that this was not disclosed anywhere on the site or in the confirmation mail I received from them. The tracking number they provided only proved that my so called watch with other item (s) was delivered to Newark NJ on June 11th. The only placed I found the info related to the possible 8 week delivery was on the Tracking Page for which you only get once the order has been processed and shipped. I waited an additional week and decided to file a dispute with PayPal as the deadline to file a dispute was almost up.
No sooner as I filed my dispute, within one day Bidz.com immediately escalated the dispute to a claim and locked out my account with them. After 1 week of calls to PayPal giving them as much info as they required, they finally refunded the amount I paid (USD $28.79, but due to the current exchange rate at the time of the refund I lost money).
As of today, August 19th the so called watch I paid for has never been delivered. If I hadn't paid for the goods via PayPal, I may have had problems getting my money back as the company is not within the UK/Europe.
Something needs to be done to stop companies like Bidz.com getting away with decieving customers. My advice to anyone thinking of buying fom Bidz.com or its sister site Buyz.com, do your research first.
With regards to the FedEx FIMS service, I looked at the FedEx website and I could not find any reference to this service, so I truely believe that Bidz.com invented this delivery option to delay shipping of goods or as a ploy to ensure that if a customer follows their exact 'Terms of Contract' the buyer has no ground to file a claim with PayPal, as PayPal terms are the buyer has to file a claim within 45 days (6 weeks) of the original transaction. Can FedEx confirm if the service 'FedEx FIMS' service indeed exists?
Regards,
Sonic7600
TULSE HILL
United Kingdom
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